plants

The month of May has arrived….and what a busy month this is in the garden!

The gardens are coming alive and there is much to be done.

But remember the old adage-

In the middle of May comes

the tail of winter.

So while you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather, remember to have your fleece cloth handy for that unexpected freeze.

I garden in the mid-Atlantic region, which is zone 5-6. The last expected frost for this region is the middle of May, usually around Mother’s Day, but we are not entirely frost safe until the end of May, or around Memorial Day. So, plant accordingly.

Here is a list of some things that can, and probably should be done in the garden this month-

Perennials can be planted. This is also the time to dig and divide any overgrown perennials, such as hostas and daylilies.
Tender summer blooming bulbs, such as dahlias, gladiolas and canna lilies can be planted out after the last frost.
After the spring blooming bulbs have flowered, remove the spent flower head but leave the foliage until it dies back naturally. Wait to cut off the leaves until they have turned brown.
Harden off your seedlings. Any seeds that have been started indoors should be potted up and can be taken outside on nice days to begin hardening off so they are prepared to be planted out.
Warm season flowers and vegetables can be direct sown in the ground after the last frost. For vegetables, these would be green beans, corn, cucumber, pumpkin and squash. For a longer harvest window you can plant short rows of each every 2-3 weeks for a longer successive harvest.
House plants that have spent the winter indoors can be taken outside on nice days to get acclimated to being outside again. Put them in a sheltered area and do not put them in direct sun. You can begin fertilizing them now. Any pot bound plants need to be re-potted up.
Window boxes, planters and pots, as well as flower beds can be planted up with tender blooming annuals after the last frost date.
Prune any trees and shrubs that need help. Remove all dead, diseased or crossing limbs.
Prune back the spring flowering shrubs after they have finished blooming to keep them compact such as lilac, forsythia and quince.
Prune and shape any evergreens if needed.
Prune and fertilize roses.
Begin mowing the lawn. Leave the grass cuttings to provide nitrogen. Re-seed if needed. Now is the time to spread any ‘weed and feed’ product on the lawn.
Set up supports as needed. In the vegetable garden-tomato supports and trellis for climbing vegetables. In the flower garden-trellis and supports for climbing plants such as clematis.
If you use an irrigation system, get it set up and tested before too much growth has taken place.
Make sure that newly planted seeds are kept watered.
Regularly harvest the rhubarb and asparagus.
Do any thinning of early spring sown vegetables.
Put up hummingbird feeders.
Keep up the regular maintenance of the the yard and garden. This includes weeding on a regular basis. Try to keep after the weeds while they are just starting to grow and still small. The object is to not let any weeds go to seed. Weed pressure is highest in the spring and early summer, and if you can keep after them, it will not be so bad later in the season.
Fertilize as needed.
Mulch as needed. Do not apply mulch until the ground has warmed up sufficiently. Keeping the garden mulched will cut back on so much work later on.
If you haven’t already, start and keep a garden journal. Also, take regular pictures of your garden. It is amazing what you can’t remember from year to year and photos are a big help.

More work now will mean less work later when the heat of summer is here.

( AI generated photo)

So, enjoy the beautiful spring weather while it is still not too hot.

Take time to savor the sights, sounds and smells of May.

A Prayer For Spring

Oh, give us

pleasure in the flowers

today.

And give us not

to think so

far away

As the uncertain

harvest.

Keep us here

all simple in the

springing

of the year

Robert Frost

Happy Gardening!

Margie

Bringing Plants In

“The Autumn Winds They Do Blow Cold…”

It is the time of year to bring in any tender plants that you want to overwinter.

You can preserve plants from year to year and also enjoy the tropical greenery inside. It is nice to have something green growing when all is dead and buried under snow outside.

Inspect the plants and pots for pests and insects before bringing them in. The plants may need pruned back some, or re potted.

Make sure you have the right spot for them-they need bright light out of direct sunlight.

The air inside is dryer, and of course much warmer, and the plants need a higher humidity-mist them occasionally or set on pebble filled trays.

I find that it is easier to take care of them if they are grouped together.

Keep them well watered. They should be lightly fertilized about once a month, especially after the daylight begins to lengthen in the early spring and they begin growing again.

What is going on here garden wise….

The only vegetable garden I was able to muster this summer here at our new home was this…

A few tomato plants and a few zucchini squash along the block wall by the carport. They grew fine and I enjoyed the precious few tomatoes and summer squash. The summer season ended all too soon and I am left wondering where the summer went.

The temperatures have dipped into the 30’s at night these last few weeks and reduced my small garden to this…

Good by summer!

One of the most frost sensitive plants are my impatiens-they put on such a beautiful display in the shady areas of the garden-overnight they turned into this.

I do have a few houseplants that I overwinter every year, bringing them inside before the frost damages them. After spending the summer outside, they are all growing very lush and full.

One is the Christmas Cactus. It is really a Thanksgiving Cactus, as soon as I bring it into the warm house, it begins setting its blossoms and should be in full bloom in a few weeks. It is a very forgiving plant and survives just fine outside in the summer and also does well inside during the winter.

I love ferns, and try to keep this one from year to year-it is a challenge as it does not like the dry heat of the house. By the time late spring arrives, it is barely surviving. It recovered nicely this summer, but I am expecting it to suffer in the house again this winter.

I was given a few pink sorrel plants years ago -these were from the person’s grandmother, and could I keep them alive?-and have overwintered them successfully for a number of years. They are considered perennials, but are not hardy in our area. They overwinter in the house fine, but do make quite a mess, as they grow, flower, die off again and again.

The last plant that I plan to overwinter is this mixed hanging basket. It grew ferociously during the summer, hanging down about 4 feet, but it is very frost sensitive and suffered some killing damage already as I didn’t bring it in soon enough. I will cut it back severely, and see if it recovers.

It is the time of year to begin tucking everything in for the winter….are you ready?

Do you overwinter any plants?

Are you successful?

Proverbs 24:5

A wise man is strong;

yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Tag: plants

Garden Chores for the Month of May

Brrr! Bring them inside!